Windows Nag Windows to Counter Piracy

Vicegrip writes "Microsoft is enhancing its Genuine Advantage program in the US, Australia, UK, Malaysia and NZ to now include persistent nag screens to remind that your version of Windows is not licensed. These nag screens will keep appearing until you license your version of Windows or, presumably, convince Microsoft they've made a mistake."

Or until you remove the app...

[sd4l]

These nag screens will keep appearing until you license your version of Windows or, presumably, convince Microsoft they've made a mistake

Or until you remove the notifications program. From Microsoft's Genuine Advantage KB article (i.e. TFA):

You can uninstall Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications by using Add or Remove Programs in Control Panel.

Do the right thing:

[Anonymous Coward]

Use this as [a, another] reason to STOP using Windows, and not as another reason to feel justified using a cracked/pirated version. Only when we reduce their install base will we force them to do the right thing.

Re:What happens if you just don't install it?

[OzPeter]

Its simple really .. if you don't load the new "Genuine Advantage" tester, you don't get access to any software updates.

This adds another subtle way to force you to change by keeping your computer in a vulnerable state when future exploits are plugged.

Re:Or until you remove the app...

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually I couldn't remove it by using the "add/remove" menu, but I tried!! Instead, go ahead and boot into a command line and delete WgaTray.exe and the dll file out of windows/system32 and that will take care of it. I also searched the windows directory for any mention of this
"Wga" crap and deleted those too.

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:What happens if you just don't install it?

[NullProg]

Question: The new "Genuine Advantage" tester is an Update on Windows Update. What happens if you just don't install it?

Nothing, for now. But it will be manditory soon.

For the moment, users can decline to download and install the pirate alert. But that may not last long. "While the program is presently opt-in, as it expands later in the year, it may become a requirement for the AU [Automatic Updates] service," Microsoft said in a FAQ on its Web site.

From the article here: http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jh tml?articleID=186701032 [informationweek.com]

"Microsoft is limiting IE 7 and Windows Defender updates for non-genuine users," the company said on its Web site. Windows Vista, scheduled for general release in January 2007, will have an even bigger carrot: its Aero Glass interface will run only on valid copies of the operating system.

Enjoy,

Re:obligatory

[dc29A]

It's cracked already.

There's a LegitCheckControl.dll floating around that you dump into c:\windows\system32 whilst in safe mode, give the PC a reboot and all is well. Windowsupdate etc work fine.

Not that I've tried it or anything... ;)

Or simply flag the ActiveX as disabled. No need to download 3d party (unsafe) hacks.

Horrible submission

[rholliday]

First, the title is "Windows Nag Windows to Counter Piracy." What does that even mean?

Second, as nearly everyone has already noted, as designed this will not "keep appearing until you license your version of Windows or, presumably, convince Microsoft they've made a mistake." It is uninstallable.

Re:Anagram

[ideonode]

A palindrome is a word that is spelled the same way forwards and backwards.

(NAG==GAN) returns false.

Re:Or until you remove the app...

[jkonrad]

Actually, it's:

You can use Add or Remove Programs to view Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications, but you cannot use Add or Remove Programs to remove the notifications.

You can temporarily disable Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications. To do this, right-click the Notifier icon in the notification area and select Change Notifications Settings. Then, follow the prompts. This will disable the Notification Prompts until a new release of the Notification Update is released.

Missing the point...

[DigitlDud]

The point of this program is not to nag people who knowingly pirated Windows. They're just going to uninstall/hack it or whatever. It's to notify people who DON'T know that they're using a pirated XP install. Then they know not to buy computers from "John's Shady Computer Store" in the future.

Re:obligatory

[Jarnis]

They already fixed that ActiveX control disable.

Now it tells you that "This add-on is managed by your Administrator", and the button is grayed out. I guess BillG and/or Microsoft is my 'Administrator' now, as I can't change it while being logged in as LocalAdmin.

MS is slowly but surely pissing off the clueful audience by taking away control. Just wait for the boos with Vista when you can't install unsigned kernel drivers, plus other 'security features' that ensure you can't just crack the thing in 2 seconds by replacing a key DLL with a modified one. ... and here I thought being root/admin meant that you could modify and generally fuck up everything if you so chose. Now MS is telling you 'I'm sorry, we say you can't do that...'

Re:Or until you remove the app...

[saforrest]

You can uninstall Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications by using Add or Remove Programs
in Control Panel.

Interesting, that's not what TFA says now. Now it says:

You can use Add or Remove Programs to view Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications, but you cannot use Add or Remove Programs to remove the notifications.

Perhaps it was changed since your comment was posted?

Re:obligatory

[operagost]

That's totally a misquote.

How to uninstall Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications
You can use Add or Remove Programs to view Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications, but you cannot use Add or Remove Programs to remove the notifications.

Re:obligatory

[drinkypoo]

You can still do it (if you are admin) through gpedit.msc.

Re:What type of nag message windows?

[vonsneerderhooten]

Are they going to have the annoying Windows XP style message box hovering over the tray that tells me that my USB 2 device could work faster if it was plugged into a non-existant USB 2 port on my USB 1.1 system?

Whoo boy!! Have i got a registry key for you!

HKLM\microsoft\windows\currentversion\explorer\adv anced\

Create/set a new DWORD: enableballoontips=0(hex value)

That's nothing...

[Anonymous Coward]

I once set my clock to the year 2200 before installing a shareware application that had a hard and fast 30 day trial. It set the trial expiration date almost 200 years in the future and I am still using it to this day many years later....

Re:Check Google tomorrow....

[Mister Whirly]

Or you could actually read the f-ing article and find that it actually says:

"You can use Add or Remove Programs to view Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications, but you cannot use Add or Remove Programs to remove the notifications.

You can temporarily disable Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications. To do this, right-click the Notifier icon in the notification area and select Change Notifications Settings. Then, follow the prompts. This will disable the Notification Prompts until a new release of the Notification Update is released."

Notice the first sentence where it cleary states you cannot use Add/Remove to get rid of notifications....

Re:obligatory

[baadger]

The IE7 installer has already been already cracked and genuine advantage bypassed when a XP build of IE7 was 'leaked'. Essentially the method was to decompress the installer with something like WinRAR, replace a dll and away you went.

Re:Next move...

[lostvyking]

What is ironic is that Win2k was actually Windows NT 5.0, and when XP came out, it was Windows NT 5.1. That was not publicized much for obvious reasons. "...and now you know".

That was easy.

[drwiii]

If you think Windows starts up slowly enough as it is, you can disable WGA by removing the execute bit on WgaLogon.dll. That way, winlogon can't call it as a notification package at boot, and since WgaLogon is responsible for running and maintaining WgaTray.exe, no more tray popups either.

And since the read bit is still there, you won't trip Windows Update to force you to reinstall it; the DLL still matches with the WU catalog and all the WGA registry keys are still in place.

Re:Why not?

[Rob T Firefly]

You win. And yes, it's 4.12.

Re:Why not?

[cazbar]

I've seen this happen on an older version (think Windows 3.1) of Paint Shop Pro. Except I had a much higher number than 1200 come up.

Re:obligatory

[Buran]

There is very little in the userland side of an operating system that cannot be easily removed... likely this will be the same, they just won't provide a mechanism or instructions on how to remove it.

There is already a way to modify the registry to remove the system tray warning balloons.

Tips & Tricks: Kill the System Tray Balloons [imason.com]

(I am not sure why there is no UI for this. You'd think it'd be a common request).

Re:Why not?

[ImaLamer]

I have to wonder about the users on Slashdot sometimes. In my years here I've seen all kinds of people complain that they have to re-install ever six to twelve months.

Why?

Maybe the PEBKAC? I've got an Emachines I use daily (right now!) that has had Windows installed, since it left the factory, with no re-installs (or even repair installs). That has been almost three years ago. (Model T3025)

Re:Next move...

[M0b1u5]

As far as usability goes, there's only one reason to use XP: ClearType font smoothing.

That's it.

Re:How? (was Re:That was easy.)

[drwiii]

If you're not familiar with how NT ACLs work, here's how you can break file permission inheritance. First of all, let's make sure Windows will let you access the ACL dialog from the GUI:

• In explorer, go to Tools > Folder Options. Then, go to View > Advanced Settings and uncheck "Use simple file sharing". Hit OK.

Now, let's change the permissions for WgaLogon:

• In the Address bar, type (without quotes) "%WinDir%\system32" and hit enter.

• Scroll down to WgaLogon.dll, right click on it, pick Properties. Go to Security.

• Hit the Advanced button, uncheck the Inherit box at the bottom, hit the Copy button, then hit OK.

Now we have a local copy of the ACL which we can modify.

• Go through each listed user/group and remove the "Read & Execute" permission for that file, leaving the "Read" permission as-is.

• Hit OK to apply the permission changes and close the file properties dialog. Restart the machine.

You can now turn "Use simple file sharing" back on, if you want.

Re:What type of nag message windows?

[glesga_kiss]

Maybe they could have the annoying Search Mutt take up the left hand window and do a little animation while I have to figure out how to turn it off?

Strangely enough, I got a new PC in work today that was the most recent XP build our IT dept has put out. On the search page there was a new "link" at the bottom saying "turn off animated character". I clicked on it and the dog walked off into the distance, never to be seen again. That damn mutt actually made me smile! Nice new feature, not sure if it was M$'s own, or something the IT guys put in.

I prefer to turn off the whole "search assistant" thing entirely and revert to the older "I how a file system search works" one. For reference:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\CabinetState

Value Name: Use Search Asst

Data Type: REG_SZ (String Value)

Value Data: yes or no (default = yes)

XP _is_ technically better...

[Ayanami Rei]

once you strip it down. I don't bother and just install server 2003 (same thing really)

XP adds over 2000:
*) Volume Shadow Service (finally...)
*) MFT defragmentation support
*) 64-bit virtual memory support and 64-bit file mmaps
*) application prefetch
*) better page retiring algorithms and PTE management
*) new (faster) locks for kernel objects for SMP
*) Built-in Terminal Server and detachable console (nee remote desktop)
*) support for read-only NTFS (like on a CD or ZIP disk)
*) redesigned registry and configuration subsys (much faster, less mem, mostly lockfree)
*) slow int 0x2e syscalls replaced by sysenter/sysexit (big difference in context switches)

and a bunch of other little things behind the scenes.

So its worth going to NT 5.1/2 if you can whip it into shape.

Re:How? (was Re:That was easy.)

[Anonymous Coward]

I didn't know what the original poster meant at first either. Thanks for clearing this up. The only contigency is that the file system must be NTFS in order for this to work. FAT32 does not support ACLs.